War of the Worlds (S2)

Johannesburg, 12 April 2021: The second series of FOX and CANAL+’s multi-faceted drama series War of the Worlds, written and created by BAFTA Award-winner Howard Overman (Misfits, Crazyhead, Merlin) of Urban Myth Films, will premiere on Mondays at 8:45 PM from 24 May 2021 on FOX (channel 131). The eight-part series will premiere with a double-bill of the first two episodes, followed by a single episode per week.

Set in France and the UK, the critically-acclaimed, modern-day retelling of H.G. Wells’ classic novel has an ensemble cast, including Golden Globe winner and EMMY and Tony award-nominated actor Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment), and Golden Globe- and Critics Choice Award winner, Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), along with further returning cast members, Léa Drucker, Natasha Little, Stéphane Caillard, Adel Bencherif, Ty Tennant, Stephen Campbell Moore, Bayo Gbadamosi, Aaron Heffernan and Emilie de Preissac.

In the first series of War of the Worlds, an alien attack all but wiped out humanity, with just a handful of humans fighting to survive. And no one felt more rocked by the invasion than Emily (Daisy Edgar-Jones), who discovered she could possess a strange, personal connection to the aliens. Series two of War of the Worlds sees our characters left reeling by the possibility that the invaders could be human. A tense fight to take back the planet awaits them. For some, the sheer desperation to survive will lead them to contemplate sacrificing one of their own.

“It was always my intention in the first series of War of the Worlds that the intricacies of human relationships would be at its heart. Watching these complex characters brought to life by such a fantastic cast of actors was a joy, and it’s been a thrill returning to their stories for series two.” ~ Howard Overman, writer and creator.

“The first season of War of the Worlds brought a uniquely thrilling and action-packed drama with deep human emotion to viewers across the continent and was an instant hit. We are excited to join fans in the continuation of this gritty sci-fi story, just as we are to add this season to the existing content roster of the boldest, brightest and most unexpected live-action and animation that can only be found on Fox.” ~ Evert van der Veer, Vice President, Media Networks, The Walt Disney Company Africa.

A global hit, the first series of War of the Worlds achieved one of the highest viewing records on CANAL+ on-demand service, as a CANAL+ Creation Originale. Airing in more than 50 European and African markets on FOX, War of the Worlds was the most successful regional launch since 2016 and was the UK’s highest-rated new FOX launch since 2012. War of the Worlds season one is among the highest-performing series on EPIX in the US.

Distributed internationally by STUDIOCANAL, the drama series is executive produced by Howard Overman, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps for Urban Myth Films. The production of War of the Worlds got funded in part by Creative Wales, a Welsh Government initiative. The second season of the contemporary adaptation sees Richard Clark return to direct episodes 1-4 whilst Ben A. Williams directs episodes 5-8.

War of the Worlds is produced by Studiocanal-backed Urban Myth Films, in partnership with CANAL+ and FOX, and broadcast in the US on EPIX.

Mondays at 8:45 PM on FOX (ch 131) from 24 May